In the field of cabinetmaking, there is a great deal of math involved. A typical kitchen base cabinet with one drawer will have two cabinet sides, one top, one bottom, one back, one shelf, one drawer bottom, one drawer box front, one drawer box back and two drawer box sides. Not counting the doors or the decorative drawer front or toe kick, there are eleven parts to the typical base cabinet box construction. Each part has three dimensions, thickness, width and length. Eleven parts having three dimensions each is a total of thirty-three dimensions per cabinet box. Multiply that by the number of cabinet boxes in the average kitchen and there is a great deal of math to do. In addition, all those parts have to be cut to those sizes. All the widths and lengths will typically be cut on a table saw. This requires a great deal of time to do the math and keeping track of all the different sizes to accurately cut all the parts. As a result of normal human error, this process is prone to mistakes and parts wasted. Those mistakes can cost a great deal of time and money to correct, eating away at any profits.
For the normal kitchen base cabinets, the height and depth are always the same. These dimensions can be referenced as “CONSTANTS.” For example, the sides of the cabinet are a function of both the height and depth and are the same whether the cabinet is ten inches wide or thirty inches wide. It is efficient to stock cabinet parts with standard heights and depths. The sides can be pre-cut to their height and depth, routed and drilled with holes and be done in high volume more efficiently then job by job. With all the set-ups that have to be accurate, running these parts in high volume or ordering parts this way will save a lot of time per part. The other “CONSTANTS” (the top, bottom, back, shelf, drawer bottom, and drawer front and back) can be machined in eight foot lengths in high volume while the business is in the slow seasons or ordered this way.
It is only the width that changes. Anything that is a function of the width (the top, bottom, back, shelf, drawer bottom, and drawer front and back) are the parts that are different sizes, which can be called VARIABLES. Each of these variables will be a given dimension smaller than the width of the cabinet. For example, the width (the dimension from left to right) of the adjustable shelf is the width of the cabinet minus the thickness of two sides and a small gap. That means a different math calculation and a different table-saw setting is required for every one of those parts. Even for those with experience, between the math and settings on the table saw, for every single part one must be careful not to make a mistake. There is a pattern that each part individually is always the same dimension smaller than the width of the cabinet. Accordingly, one can eliminate the math and the multiple different settings on the saw by using spacers for each part that were those given dimensions smaller than the width of the cabinet. So, one must only set the saw fence to the width of the cabinet to be built by putting a dimensioned spacer between the fence and the blade, next to the saw fence specific to each part to adjust the width of the cut to given part. As long as one accurately sets the fence to the size of cabinet to be cut, one not only completely eliminates the math needed, but using the appropriate spacers, every part is cut perfect every time with just one setting of the fence for each cabinet. This allows one to cut up cabinets faster than any other system. Creating a way to keep the spacers handy, yet out of the way when not needed, took years of trial and error and hundreds of hours of planning and drawing. The solution finally started by playing with hinging the spacers to move them in place and then out of the way. Having the need to use multiple spacers was tricky. Envisioning the final product, but making all the geometry of all the different spacers took many evolutions of prototypes.
This Flip-down Table-saw Fence (FTF) will work on most cabinets, base cabinets to upper cabinets and tall cabinets, including Garage, Bathroom Kitchen, laundry or just about any cabinet in any location.